Tapes reportedly provide evidence that a programme intended to encourage the
hiring of disabled people was mired in corruption

From left: Barack Obama, George BushPhoto: AP, PA

By David Lawler, Washington

3:30PM GMT 16 Nov 2015

Wikileaks released audiotapes on Monday purporting to reveal that appointees of the Bush and Obama administrations corruptly misappropriated funds intended to encourage the hiring of disabled people.

The tapes are intended to provide evidence that billions of dollars meant for disabled people went instead to defence contractors and other major corporations without large proportions of disabled employees.

The accusations centre on a government programme called AbilityOne, which awards about $3 billion annually in government contracts. Most of that money is distributed by SourceAmerica, a non-profit.

It is intended for companies in which at least 75 per cent of work is performed by blind or otherwise disabled people, as a tool to get more such people into the workforce.